Actel Refines Libero IDE to Improve Design Flow for Low-Power IGLOO FPGAs and Mixed-Signal Fusion PSCs
Company Leverages Advanced Software from Mentor Graphics, Synplicity and SynaptiCAD to Ease the Design Experience
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., January 15, 2007 —
Actel Corporation (NASDAQ: ACTL) today announced that the latest version of
the Actel Libero™ Integrated Design Environment (IDE)
offers full support for Actel's newest flash-based field-programmable gate
array (FPGA) solutions, the low-power IGLOO™ family.
The Libero IDE 7.3 also provides new easy-to-use features that will aid designers
utilizing the mixed-signal Actel Fusion™ Programmable
System Chip (PSC) and low-cost ProASIC3/E families.
The Libero IDE 7.3 introduces innovative internal design functions, such as
the new Libero block design flow, to lower FPGA development costs and enable
users to reach design closure more quickly. The enhanced IDE also combines
advanced FPGA backend technology with best-in-class design software products
from Synplicity, Mentor Graphics and SynaptiCAD.
"The Libero IDE 7.3 combines powerful analysis and implementation features
with the ease-of-use that Actel customers have come to expect," said Rich Brossart,
vice president, product marketing at Actel. "This is just the latest example
of Actel's commitment to provide cutting-edge silicon functionality and low
FPGA development costs while still optimizing the user experience. No other
FPGA development software bundle provides as much value-per-dollar as the Libero
IDE 7.3."
Optimized for Actel IGLOO Low-Power FPGAs
The Libero IDE 7.3 is optimized for Actel's new low-power IGLOO FPGA family,
the industry's lowest power FPGA. The software supports the Actel IGLOO family's
three power modes – Flash*Freeze™, low-power active and sleep. In Flash*Freeze
mode, the IGLOO devices achieve ultra-low power consumption of less than 5 µW.
These innovations build upon the power-optimization toolset available in Libero,
including the SmartPower analysis tool, which allows users to characterize
power consumption in the Actel IGLOO devices.
Best-in-Class Tools, Advanced Functions and Improved Ease of Design
Expanding the software support network for Actel FPGAs, the Libero IDE 7.3
includes the industry-standard Synplicity Identify 2.4.1, an RTL debugger,
bundled for free in the Libero Gold edition.
Joe Gianelli, vice president of business development and strategic alliances
at Synplicity, said, "By integrating the Identify software into the Libero
IDE 7.3, Actel's customers now have a cost-effective way to set up and debug
their flash-based ProASIC3 designs quickly, and with in-system functional evaluation."
For the first time, customers can also leverage the rich feature set of the
Precision RTL synthesis software from Mentor Graphics as part of the Libero
Web download product bundle. Combining these products in an easy-to-use package,
Mentor Graphics and Actel expand the synthesis options for designers. (See
related announcement "Actel and
Mentor Graphics Expand Partnership" also issued today).
Further, SynaptiCAD and Actel worked closely to adapt the WaveFormer Lite
v11 testbench generation tool to support the unique architecture of Fusion,
which includes analog, embedded flash and FPGA fabric on a monolithic PSC.
"SynaptiCAD's WaveFormer Lite v11 allows Actel Fusion users to quickly generate
analog waveforms by choosing a waveform equation and its parameters," said
Dan Notestein, president and CEO of SynaptiCAD. "These waveforms can be used
directly in a Libero HDL testbench to simulate and test a virtual Fusion prototype."
The Libero IDE 7.3 also introduces advanced internal design functionality
with a block design flow and extends the backend timing and power analysis
software with features, such as virtual clocks and bottleneck analysis, power
initialization with timing constraints and advanced power analysis for memory
blocks. These features allow designers to rapidly reach design closure and
characterize their FPGA design in the context of the overall system.
Availability
The Actel Libero IDE 7.3 Platinum edition is available now on Windows and
Unix platforms for $2495. The enhanced Libero IDE Gold edition is available
on Windows for free. All editions are one-year renewable licenses. For further
information about pricing and availability, please contact Actel.
About Actel
Actel Corporation is the leader
in single-chip FPGA solutions. The company is traded on the NASDAQ National
Market under the symbol ACTL and is headquartered at 2061 Stierlin Court,
Mountain View, Calif., 94043-4655. For more information about Actel, visit http://www.actel.com.
Telephone: 888-99-ACTEL (992-2835).
Contact: Ivanya Terrazas, Actel Corporation, 650.318.4500
